Unextracted: Jack Storm Spy Thriller Series, #4

By Ethan Jones

Stabbed in the back, Jack bleeds rage.

When a burned deep-cover CIS agent needs extraction from Southern Europe before classified intelligence is exposed, Jack Storm is sent in. Soon, supposedly friendly MI6 begins to subvert the retrieval operation. Jack suspects he has become a pawn in a dirty political power play when he discovers the agent holds more than just CIS secrets.

 

Moreover, Jack needs to determine if his neighbor-turned-close-friend is playing a double game—or has his job truly left him incapable of trusting anyone? Now, with the extraction sabotaged and his friends-turned-enemies out for blood, how will Jack focus his rage after being betrayed... again?

 

Reviews

★★★★★ "The ending was brilliant!"

★★★★★ "This book is fast paced, exciting, highly entertaining and is a real page turner. I couldn't put it down…The ending was yet another brilliant twist by this author. It's left me on the edge of my seat…"

★★★★★ "Action-packed."

★★★★★ "All I can say is you have outdone yourself.  I didn't want to put it down…"

 

Jack Storm Spy Thriller Series

International bestselling author Ethan Jones brings a new series so heart-stopping and fever-pitched, that you'll have to take up a permanent position on the edge of your seat. The clean, clever, and captivating fourth book in the Jack Storm series, with bonus content, is a pure white-knuckle ride to the last page. Action movie fans will thoroughly enjoy Unextracted. Start the adventure now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Knightsville Books
• Release date: Nov 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201723279

Ethan Jones

Ethan Jones is an international bestselling author of over thirty-five spy thriller and suspense novels. His books have sold over one hundred thousand copies in over seventy countries. Ethan has lived in Europe and Canada. He has worked for the American Embassy and did missionary work in Albania. He’s a lawyer by trade, and his research has taken him to many parts of the world. His goal is to provide clean, clever, and white-knuckle entertainment for his valued readers. Ethan’s thrillers are fast-paced, action-packed, and full of unsuspecting twists and turns. When he’s not writing or researching, you can find Ethan hiking, snorkeling, hanging out with family/friends, or traveling the world. Check out Ethan's website ethanjonesbooks.com to learn more and to sign up to Ethan's Exclusives which includes updates, deals, and a free starter pack.

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The Story

When stabbed in the back, Jack bleeds rage.

When a burned deep-cover CIS agent needs extraction from Southern Europe before classified intelligence is exposed, Jack Storm is sent in. Soon, supposedly friendly MI6 begins to subvert the retrieval operation. Jack suspects he has become a pawn in a dirty political power play when he discovers the agent holds more than just CIS secrets.

Moreover, Jack needs to determine if his neighbor-turned-close-friend is playing a double game—or has his job truly left him incapable of trusting anyone? Now, with the extraction sabotaged and his friends-turned-enemies out for blood, how will Jack focus his rage after being betrayed... again?

UNEXTRACTED

JACK STORM SERIES

BOOK FOUR

ETHAN JONES

To God who gives all good things.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 124:8

To my readers and my behind the scenes team.

Thank you for being part of my good things.

Table of Contents

Front Page

Title Page

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-two

Epilogue

Bonus - Short Story

Bonus - Book Five - Perfect Extraction: Chapter One

Acknowledgements

Copyright

Chapter One

Carthart Street

Two Blocks South of the

Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Ottawa, Canada

Jack Storm tried hard not to go ballistic as he discreetly followed the pair walking about thirty meters in front of him. They were on the sidewalk, on the other side of the narrow street. Jack was staying back so they wouldn’t notice him. Surveillance had turned quite tricky because the road was mostly bare, without any passersby. A few vehicles were parked along the left side, which also had a row of tall trees, but their thin trunks offered little cover. Moreover, he knew one of the subjects.

Her name was Nora Lake, and she was Jack’s neighbor, a woman he had grown fond of. She was kind to him and very understanding and caring. She liked swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving, just like Jack’s missing wife. But what is she doing talking to the Saudi operative? She’s not discussing obtaining a visa to visit Saudi Arabia.

Jack shook his head and slowed his pace. The day had gotten warmer than he had expected. The adrenaline rushing through his veins and the gray windbreaker Jack was wearing to cover his shoulder holster loaded with his Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol were causing him to sweat. He wiped his moist forehead with the back of his hand and looked at Nora and the Saudi man.

She stopped and looked over her shoulder.

Jack slipped behind the corner of the nearest townhouse. He was walking very close to them, anticipating Nora or the Saudi would make that move. Jack turned naturally and stood on the porch. He raised his hand and pretended to knock on the door. He knew how to handle himself in this type of situation.

Jack, a trained operative with the Canadian Intelligence Service, or CIS, worked as an extractor. He was called in when an asset needed to be extracted from a hair-raising situation or an operative needed an exfiltration after a mission had gone sideways. But here he was following his neighbor, trying to figure out her relationship with this Saudi. What’s going on here? What is she hiding from me?

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Nora lower her sunglasses back over her eyes from the top of her head. She shrugged and unzipped her blue jacket halfway. She ran her hand through her long blonde hair and turned toward the Saudi.

He had a dark complexion, was clean-shaven, and was wearing a pair of black-framed glasses. The man was about thirty, dressed in a charcoal suit and white shirt. He placed his hand around Nora’s back, as he had done before, gesturing for her to keep going, like he was guiding her.

She nodded at him, and they resumed their walk.

Jack took an easier breath and stepped back. He was still on the townhouse’s porch when the door was yanked open. A short-statured and frail elderly man without a single hair on his head and an ocean of wrinkles on his pale face gave Jack a curious look mixed with annoyance. Who are you, and what do you want? the man growled at Jack. His voice was stronger than what the agent was expecting, considering the man’s appearance.

Eh… I… I was looking for Elvis. Is he here? Jack mumbled, caught slightly off guard.

Elvis? Elvis who? The man’s face twisted into a deep frown.

Elvis Pres… Preston. Elvis Preston. Is he here? He almost said Presley, the first thing that came to mind.

The man thought about it for a long moment, then offered a stern headshake. No Elvises here, Preston, or any other kind.

I’m sorry, then, Jack apologized and stepped back. Have a great day, sir.

The man peered at Jack one moment longer, then waved at him with his bony hand. You too, young man. You too.

Jack smiled at himself. Young man. I wish. He threaded a hand through his two-inch-long black hair, which had started to turn ashen at the temples. It was also thinning at the top. Jack shrugged. It runs in the family. My dad’s hair turned snow-white before he was forty. He smiled as he remembered playing catch with his dad, then wrestling with him and his older brother in the backyard. He bit his lip as a wave of bittersweet memories flooded him. Jack sighed. A heart attack had taken away his dad at the peak of his life. The impact had been devastating, mainly for his mother and brother. Jack had mostly come out unscathed.

Mostly.

Except for those uncontrollable bursts of anger and the problem with accepting authority.

He shrugged again as he resumed the surveillance. That’s other people’s problems, he thought. Not necessarily mine.

He grinned as the expression used by a friend popped into his mind. The friend had said half-jokingly that People who think that violence isn’t the answer aren’t using it properly. True, Jack thought. Very true. There is a time to kill and a time to heal. That’s in the Bible… somewhere…

He hurried his steps, staying closer to the vehicles. Nora and the Saudi had increased the distance. They were nearing the intersection where the road joined with King Edward Avenue. Where are they going? I’ve got to see if they turn right or left.

They stopped near the edge of the sidewalk, seemingly waiting for the rush of vehicles to stop. When there was a gap in traffic, they bolted across the three lanes and stopped at the small, raised median.

Jack slowed down as he came to a clear stretch of the road. There were only the occasional thin trees and low shrubs next to cars parked on small driveways of a three-story red-brick townhouse complex. Not much cover.

So he crouched by a red Mini Cooper and looked through the rear glass.

It was a good move.

First Nora and then the Saudi turned their heads. They cast a sweeping gaze at the street. Jack would have totally been made. How would I have explained what I’m doing here? He shrugged. Thank God, I don’t have to.

If found out, his cover story was that he was in the neighborhood looking for someone selling an almost brand-new cellphone on Kijiji, the online selling platform. Unfortunately, the person must have given Jack the wrong address since he was still looking for it.

He doubted Nora would buy it. Not if she was working for the General Intelligence Presidency, or GIP, Saudi Arabia’s primary intelligence agency. Nora would see clearly through his lies. Even as Jack had thought about it, it had sounded hollow. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to use it.

The Saudi seemed to wave at drivers coming from the right, asking for them to stop. When a couple of vehicles slowed down and came to abrupt stops, Nora and he dashed across the street. They came to the entrance to Bordeleau Park, bordering the Rideau River, and started to walk along one of the paved paths going through the park.

Jack frowned as he stood up. He walked as fast as he could but was ready to drop behind the nearest car if necessary. The surveillance had become very problematic. The park was a vast, open space with very few people in sight. Jack would be completely in the open and without a good reason to explain his presence. He could say he was out for a walk, but the coincidence of the timing and the location was too convenient to be true.

He shook his head as he waited for a gap in the traffic. There’s no way I can get close enough to hear their conversation. But I’ll stay within visual distance. I can observe their behavior, which will tell me as much as I’ll be able to learn about their mysterious meeting.

Chapter Two

Bordeleau Park

Ottawa, Canada

Nora kicked a small pebble with the tip of her black runners, then turned to face Saladdin Majeed Al-Shammari. She shook her head and removed her sunglasses. Her blue eyes widened and went round with surprise. I… I can’t believe you don’t see it that way, she said in a low voice full of disappointment.

Al-Shammari nodded and slowed his pace. He stood up straighter and puffed up his chest. This is an order, Nura. An order for you and for me. He tapped his chest and gestured toward her with his right hand.

Nora—as she had translated her name—took a step away from him. She shook her head again. But if we asked, if we explained what’s happening, then—

Al-Shammari cut her off with a flick of his wrist. I’m not asking anything, and neither are you. Understand?

Nora rolled her eyes at her colleague. I’ve got it; I’ve got it. But you’ve got to keep it down. She looked around and tipped her head slowly at a couple of joggers who were heading toward them.

Al-Shammari lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. I don’t care. They can’t hear or understand a thing.

I wouldn’t count on that. We’re speaking Arabic, but we never know who might speak our language.

Al-Shammari offered a big smile to the joggers, who waved and smiled at him. He looked back at Nora, and his smile turned into a smirk. They look whiter than cream. Where would they have learned Arabic?

Nora pursed her lips and decided to drop it. So, that’s it, then… We’re doing nothing?

"Actively, and that was exactly our boss’s word, actively, we are not to engage or intervene. However, we’re still maintaining surveillance. We’re keeping records of movements, meetings, everything that’s important."

And wiretap? When are we going forward with the wiretap?

Al-Shammari rolled his shoulders. The boss is still considering it. I made our case, but he wasn’t convinced.

The longer we wait, the smaller the window of opportunity.

I told him that.

The longer it takes, the harder it gets. We might even completely miss our chance.

I told him that as well, Al-Shammari replied in a sharp voice full of frustration. He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his large, curved nose and blinked in disappointment. But until he makes a decision, we’ve got to stay put.

Nora threw her hands up and began to storm away.

Al-Shammari hurried so he could catch up with her. Look, I did my best, but he wasn’t convinced.

You should have let me come to the meeting.

That would have made no difference. Plus, we couldn’t risk the exposure.

What exposure? She stopped and spread her arms around. Look where we are. No one is paying attention. No one is spying on us.

Al-Shammari nodded and sighed. He moved his head first to the left and then to the right. He saw no one that presented a real danger. A couple of people were sitting on a bench under one of the tall spruces. He couldn’t see their faces, but one of them was wearing a beige baseball cap. Whoever they were, the considerable distance of a hundred meters or more prohibited any eavesdropping, even if they were using amplified handheld listening devices. What about your boyfriend? Does he suspect anything?

Jack? You know he’s not my boyfriend. Nora’s forehead creased, and her eyes blazed with anger. Our relationship is strictly professional. I can be a pro, unlike some of the people back there. She cocked her head and pointed with her hand to the right, in the direction of the Saudi embassy.

Al-Shammari scrunched up his face in a look of disapproval. I wouldn’t be too cocky, Nura. Many people would be upset to hear that.

Nora locked eyes with her colleague. I don’t care what they think, Saladdin. You know how I work; you know what I’m doing here for my country. If they don’t like it, that’s their problem.

"True, but it might become your problem if something happens to you or this operation."

Something like what?

Something like Jack asking questions…

Nora shrugged. I have the answers.

Difficult questions.

I have the answers to those as well.

"And you’re certain, absolutely certain, that Jack Storm has no suspicions about you or what you do?"

He doesn’t, Nora replied with confidence. She stepped closer to Al-Shammari. Listen, she continued in a low voice, we have nothing to worry about. Jack trusts me. With time, he’ll confide in me, and we’ll know more about how much information he has and what he has found out about the case.

We might not have time, any time. Things might turn around in an instant. He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

Nora shrugged, and her eyebrows rose. Her eyes bored into him for a second before the corner of her mouth quirked up. If that happens, she answered in a harsh voice, then we’ll spring into action. We’ll tell him what has happened and what he needs to do. We’ll give him a reminder or two. She grinned. That always helps.

Al-Shammari chewed on his bottom lip. I don’t like it. This overconfidence of yours. It’s not going to bode well for any of us.

Nora opened her mouth but decided against saying anything and just shrugged. She wanted to say that she wasn’t afraid, but she was worried her colleague might misunderstand that as an inference that he was a coward. That thought had crossed her mind, but she was going to keep it to herself. It didn’t matter what he thought; it mattered what he did. She said, We are told to wait and see, and we’ll do that. I’ll talk to Jack tonight. See how he’s doing. Does he suspect anything? What does he think of me and our relationship?

Her colleague nodded. You do that, but be careful. Don’t give Jack any reason to doubt you or to push you away.

Of course not, she replied with a hint of irritation in her low voice. I’m always careful.

Now more than ever. He resumed walking through the park as a woman on a bicycle rang her bell. Al-Shammari stepped to the side to give her enough room. Nora followed him onto the grassy area next to the path.

When the cyclist was out of earshot, Al-Shammari picked up the conversation: We’ll have to act soon. Now it’s only a matter of days. As soon as they arrive in Canada, we could receive the order.

We’ll be ready.

What about Jack?

"What about him?

"Will he be ready?" A look of doubt appeared on Al-Shammari’s face.

That’s irrelevant. Nora waved a dismissive hand. "If Jack isn’t ready, he’ll have to get ready. He’ll have to accept it and the new reality. We’ll make him accept it. Jack has no other choice."

Chapter Three

Bordeleau Park

Ottawa, Canada

Jack pulled down his beige baseball cap to cover as much of his face as possible. He got up from the bench under a tall spruce tree and made a beeline to his right. He reached a couple of thick-trunked maples that gave him good cover. Jack had noticed the Saudi man and Nora had begun to part ways, and the Saudi had hurriedly turned around. It seemed like he was backtracking his steps. If he walked along the path, he’d have stepped right in front of Jack.

The agent had to decide which one of the targets he was going to follow. He still didn’t know what Nora had discussed with the Saudi since Jack hadn’t been able to get close enough to listen in. He also could only speculate about their relationship. And who was that man? Was he a Saudi embassy staffer, or was he just a visitor at the building? Was he even a Saudi national? He kind of looked like he could be, but that wasn’t enough for Jack to make a decision. He needed more information before he could have some conclusive answers.

So he decided to go after the Saudi. Jack hadn’t been able to get a good look, so he wondered if he could get close enough for a picture. Jack had only his phone on him. The picture quality was excellent, but the zoom range was pathetic. Anything beyond twenty meters, and the image would be useless for identification purposes. Would I be able to get that close? I’ve got to.

Jack looked over his shoulder and to the left. Nora was crossing King Edward Avenue at the same spot she had a few minutes earlier. She’s returning to her car, Jack thought. The Saudi was headed in the opposite direction, toward the north. Where is he going?

Jack waited until Nora had disappeared across the six-lane avenue, then stepped out from behind the trees. The Saudi was about sixty or seventy meters up ahead. He was still on the path and walking at a leisurely pace. Once in a while, he’d look at the river to his right. Large piers were left abandoned in the water, remnants of an old railroad bridge that

Reviews for Unextracted

[Chris · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Ethan Jones’ spy thrillers and he has set extremely high standards for himself. I’m never worried that he’ll be able to maintain them though because he has proven time and time again that he can. Unextracted is a perfect example of his high quality work. Jack Storm is really put through some tough situations in this book from the beginning to the very end. Being an ‘Extractor’ isn’t easy but it’s especially hard for Jack this time when he’s sent to bring out a fellow CIS agent. With many agencies interested in this agent they send their own highly trained personnel. Can Jack even trust the man he’s sent to get out? Ethan Jones gives his readers a fast paced thriller full of top class action and a plot that you’d be hard pressed to find better anywhere.